5/3/12 4:15 PM EDT

The 269-269 scenario is entirely plausible, though it’s one that assumes President Obama loses six states he carried in 2008: Florida, Indiana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia.

From my perspective, at least one part of it seems implausible – if Obama hemorrhages that many states from his 2008 coalition it’s hard for me to envision that he peels the one electoral vote out of Nebraska as he did four years ago.

The Electoral College tie scenario is a longshot, of course. But the mere fact that it can’t be ruled out highlights just how politically divided the nation is, in every respect.

The House has now flipped twice in the last three election cycles. The Senate could very well be tied 50-50 after November. The winner in three of the past five presidential elections has failed to crack 50 percent of the vote; one of those races was so close that it was essentially decided by 500 votes.

Against that backdrop, a deadlocked electoral map hardly seems like it's beyond the realm of possibility.